(CN) - A controversial Illinois law requiring parental notification of abortions took effect Wednesday after 14 years of legal wrangling, only to be suspended hours later, when a Cook County judge issued a restraining order. The 1995 law requires doctors to give 48 hours notice to parents if girls 17 or younger seek abortions.
The Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board cleared the way for the law to take effect, but Cook County Judge Daniel Riley issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, saying the ACLU has presented enough information to persuade him the group should be given time to present its case, which is expected to take several months.
Illinois' law does not require that parents approve the abortion, only that they be informed of it. The law has an exception that allows judges to bypass notification in cases of abuse or danger to the teen.
The American Civil Liberties Union unsuccessfully argued the law violated the U.S. Constitution. It won the restraining order on Wednesday by claiming that the law violates the state constitution.
Supporters of the law claim the ACLU's new lawsuit is simply an end run around the federal case it lost.
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